Seduction
by Flames and Fairy Tales
Summary: "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to seduce me." A continuation of the story by ironsilversaltandtea on tumblr


"Hey Luce, do we still have ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet?"

Lucy stopped drying her hair to meet Lockwood's gaze.

"Does your back hurt again?" She asked, "We told you, you shouldn't have started training again yet. The Doctor recommended another week of rest." She wrapped her fluffy towel around her shoulders to keep her jumper from getting damp and waited for his answer. Lockwood looked at her sheepishly.

"I know, but I was feeling better, and I thought-"

Lucy shook her head and got up from her perch at the edge of the bath to look in the medicine cabinet. "You should have listened. We're out of ibuprofen, just panadol."

"Better than nothing, I suppose…" he sighed.

Lockwood had injured himself on a case in Covent Garden a little over a month before. He had saved Lucy after she got cornered, but broke ribs in the process. The doctor told him to keep bedrest, much to his chagrin. George, Holly and Lucy had taken turns nursing him back to health until he was capable of taking care of himself again.

"I think I've got a heating pack somewhere too, if that would help?" Lucy suggested.

"It would be appreciated," Lockwood replied, walking over to take the little box of panadol Lucy held out to him.

While Lockwood took the painkillers, Lucy went upstairs to retrieve her heating pack. She had learned that heat eased cramps soon after getting her first period and always kept one on hand. It wasn't particularly hard to get them. A lot of agencies used them as promotional material during winters.

Lockwood wasn't in the bathroom anymore when Lucy came back downstairs, so Lucy made her way over to his room. The last time she had been in there, was when she needed to change his bandages. There had been tension between them back then, a combination of worry and anger at his reckless behaviour on Lucy's end, and defiance and stubbornness on Lockwood's.

"_If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to seduce me."_

It had been a joke, a simple remark to lessen the undeniable tension in the room when Lucy had been taking care of Lockwood. At the time she had laughed it off; joined in on the joke and went on with life.

It had taken some time. For a couple weeks, the words didn't want to leave Lucy's head. Neither did the memory of his bare skin underneath her hands, or the sounds he had made when she had gently massaged his muscles. They resurfaced at the most inopportune times; like when Lockwood sent her a radiant smile when she told him about case gone right, or when she was practicing in the rapier room and he talked her through the movements.

The main reason she couldn't forget about the words though, was because they had forced her to face the feelings she harboured for Anthony Lockwood for a while now. She was falling in love with him.

And she had no clue what to do about that.

Lucy called Mary for advice a few days after that first incident in his room, but her older sister could not give her anything other than 'Be yourself'. She had been doing that for the past two years now. It felt like everyone could see straight through her, and even in the supermarket she was reminded of her predicament by the magazines on display near the checkouts.

The teen magazine boasted headlines like '5 Ways to incorporate your Ghostwards into your everyday outfit' and 'I saw my boyfriend's ghost!' but the one that had caught her attention was the smallest one. 'How to show a guy you like him'. In a move that surprised even herself, Lucy had bought the magazine.

It had been about as helpful as Mary's 'be yourself' advice. The article focused more on how to get to know a guy than on how to convey interest, and Lucy already knew Lockwood. Since her return to the agency, they spent more time talking to each other. There was a soft sort of intimacy between them that made her stomach flutter. Sometimes it seemed like it teetered on the edge of growing into something deeper, but Lucy didn't dare take the plunge. Perhaps they were better of just remaining friends.

Lockwood was lying chest down on his bed when Lucy entered the room, barely looking up.

"I've got one," Lucy announced, holding out the heat pack to him.

"Thanks," Lockwood said, taking the heat pack from her and clicked the metal coin floating in the liquid. "Bunchurch?" He asked, reading the lettering on the plastic as the crystallisation began. "Are you promoting our competitor, Luce?"

Lucy let out a snort. "Hardly. Not like anyone can see it under my clothes." She fought down a blush when she realised what she'd said, and quickly changed the subject, "do you have a handkerchief or something? You shouldn't put these directly on your skin."

"Second drawer."

While Lucy opened the drawer to retrieve a handkerchief to wrap around the heat pack, fabric rustled softly behind her. When she turned around again, she faced a topless Lockwood, lying on his stomach. His shirt hung from the bedpost at the foot end of the bed. There was no fighting the blush now. Heat rose to Lucy's cheek, and she was sure she looked like a tomato. Still she walked closer and offered Lockwood the handkerchief.

"Thanks," Lockwood said, wrapping the cotton around the heat pack. He tried to move his arm back to put the heat pack on his back, but the movement was stiff, and it slid off onto the mattress beside him.

Lucy picked up the pack and gently put it back on Lockwood's skin, sitting down on the bed.

"There?"

"A little up, please…" Lockwood muttered, and let out a pleased sigh when Lucy followed his instruction. He relaxed and buried his face in his pillow.

"How much did you train to get your muscles this knotted up?" Lucy asked, trailing her fingers over his skin above the heat pack she was still holding in place. The area underneath her fingertips felt tense, even though the rest of Lockwood's posture seemed relaxed.

"Just half an hour," Lockwood grumbled. "It's been ages since I got the injury-"

"Five weeks, and ribs can take longer than that to heal."

"… I was bored."

"I know, but you've got to be careful."

Lockwood nodded into the pillow. "Could you move it a little to the left?"

Lucy did so, touching the red skin the pack had rested on before. It was warm, but she could still feel the tension in the muscles underneath, so she gently pressed her fingers in. Lockwood let out a soft groan.

"Did I hurt you?"

"Hmm… no," Lockwood muttered into the pillow. "That's nice… How do you know how to do that?"

Lucy moved the heat pack up and gave a shrug, before remembering Lockwood couldn't see that with his face buried in his pillow.

"Just trying something, to be honest," she answered out loud.

"Either way, I like it."

Lucy didn't reply, just pressed her fingers into his muscles a little firmer. She built up a rhythm, moving the heat pack and massaging away the knots left behind in its warm spot, trying to ignore the pleased sounds Lockwood was making now and then.

"I think I'm having a deja vu," Lockwood said after a while.

Lucy paused. "Deja vu?"

"Hmm…" Lockwood responded. "What would you say if I asked whether you're trying to seduce me this time?"

For a moment, Lucy's mind seemed to screech to a halt. She felt like she was at a crossroad in a labyrinth, and her next choice could either lead her to the exit or damn her to wander the roads for eternity.

"That depends," she started slowly. "Do you want a serious answer, or should we do this again in six weeks?"

Lockwood turned onto his side to look at her, the heat pack falling off of his back onto the comforter. His dark eyes bored into Lucy's, and she had to fight the urge to fidget. "What is the serious answer?" he asked.

Lucy swallowed. There would be no going back after this, and suddenly she wasn't sure whether it was worth the risk. It was one thing asking her sister how to flirt, or trying to learn it from an article in a magazine. They were actions that didn't have direct consequences. This was of a whole other magnitude.

"The serious answer is yes," she managed after a moment. "Yes, I am. I like you, Lockwood." she closed her eyes and waited. Would he be angry with her? Had she misread their growing intimacy? It was entirely possible Lockwood didn't feel the same way, and if that were the case, she had just ruined their friendship. Again.

When she felt a soft hand on her cheek, Lucy snapped her eyes back open. Lockwood had moved closer to her, thigh nearly touching hers, and was now gazing into her eyes. A soft, genuine smile played on his lips. "I like you too, Luce," he confessed.

The relief that washed over her was strong enough to make Lucy giggle, and Lockwood's smile widened in response. He leant forward slowly, giving her the opportunity to move away should she want to. She absolutely didn't want to. Too impatient to wait, she closed the gap between them herself, pressing her lips to Lockwood's in a gentle kiss.

She wasn't entirely sure what she had expected. She had kissed a couple times in her life before, playing truth or dare or spin the bottle with her old team. She had never been quite impressed with the act before. Not that kissing Lockwood was mind-blowingly different. There were no fireworks being set off on her skin where they touched, or hurricane of butterflies in her stomach like the teen magazine had described. Instead, a sense of calm seemed to wash over her, like some part of herself had finally been given what it needed to be able to rest. She felt safe and at ease, and even if they bumped their noses and had to pull away for air because she had forgotten through breath through her nose, Lucy thought it was the best kiss ever.

Lockwood felt the need to prove her wrong. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, so they were practically chest to chest, and kissed her again. And again. And again. Lucy was getting lost in the sensation of touching him, his bare skin spread under her palms, his lips moving softly against hers. She could feel his heartbeat, fast and strong, in time with hers.

Lucy didn't protest when he pulled her down onto the mattress. After taking another moment to breathe, she pulled him close again and started a kiss herself.

When she moved her leg, she felt something brush against her thigh through her leggings. Immediately they both froze. She glanced down Lockwood's body and snapped her eyes up to his face again when she realised what she had felt.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Luce. It's just- the way you were touching me earlier and having you so close-"

It was the first time Lucy had seen Lockwood that flustered. The tips of his ears were bright red, and even his cheeks were dusted a light pink now.

"Just ignore it," He managed, his voice higher pitched than usual. "It will go away on its own."

"I could give you a hand?" she offered. "You-… you'll have to help me a bit, but-" Lockwood was already nodding. There wasn't much left of his suave charm, and Lucy felt a twinge of pride at the fact that she'd gotten that reaction out of him.

"If you are sure," he managed. "You don't have to feel obligated-"

"I want to," Lucy reassured him. Something in her gaze seemed to undo any protests that may still have played through Lockwood's mind. He swallowed thickly and pulled her close, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He undid the button of his trousers and closed his eyes when he felt her smaller hand join his. She freed him from his underwear, drawing a gasp from him as she held him in hand.

Lucy immediately let go. She waited a moment, to see if Lockwood would tell her this was a bad idea after all. When he didn't give another response, wrapped her hand around him again. He didn't flinch now, although he was still tense with anticipation. Lucy slowly moved her hand, trying not to get distracted by the way he was pressing his lips against her neck in soft kisses, his fast breaths ghosting over her skin.

After a little while, Lucy found a rhythm that had him making soft, strangled sounds against her skin. She continued with a little more confidence, gripping him a little tighter. Lockwood had one hand fisted in her jumper, pulling it from the waistband of her skirt as he held onto it. There was a building tension. Lucy felt it in the way his lower body jerked ever so slightly as he tried not to buck his hips.

A sharp hiss against her throat had Lucy pause. She recognised the pained sound from the times when he overexerted himself during his recovery.

"Sorry!" she squeaked, letting go of him. "I didn't-… I mean- Are you okay?"

" 'M fine," Lockwood rushed to assure her, pulling back slightly. "Just a little…"

Understanding dawned on Lucy, and she pulled her hand up to her face. Her cheeks reddened even further as she licked her palm.

A strange sound escaped Lockwood when she took him in hand again, a mix between a gasp and a low moan, and he squeezed his eyes tight shut again. Her strokes were easier now, and she grew more confident in what she was doing as the pleased sounds from Lockwood became more frequent.

The only warning Lucy got before Lockwood finished was the way his hips jerked and his grip on her sweater tightened. His last bit of self-restraint gone, he moaned loudly against her neck as he spilled over her hand. For the time of two heartbeats, neither of them dared to move. Then Lucy pressed a kiss to Lockwood's forehead and pulled her hand back.

"Do-do you have tissues or something?" she managed, her voice strangely high pitched. Lockwood was already scrambling to open the drawer of his nightstand, but found it empty. Unable to think of anything else to give her, he quickly patted the comforter to find the heat pad, innocently laying next to them. He pulled off the handkerchief and awkwardly held it out for her to take.

Lucy quickly wiped off her hand, avoiding looking at Lockwood as he tucked himself away in his underwear. Him placing his hand on her cheek startled her greatly.

"Do you want me to-" Lockwood swallowed. "if you want me to, I could help you out too?"

Before Lucy could react to his words though, there was the softest sound of a key sliding into a lock coming through the open door of Lockwood's room. As if burned, Lockwood pulled his hand back, a blush of embarrassment adding to the flush that spread from his ears to his cheeks. Lucy didn't mind, scrambling to twist her skirt back into its proper position and tuck her jumper back into the waistband. She couldn't think of a bigger mood killer than George walking in on them.

"I'm sorry Luce," Lockwood said, reaching for his shirt and sliding his arms into the sleeves. For a moment Lucy's stomach squeezed together, fearing he'd say that what they did was a mistake, not to be repeated. "Why?"

"Well, we weren't done. I promise I'll make you feel good as well next time."

* * *

**A/N: A birthday gift to the wonderful Ellajane2255**  
**Decided to give smut another try after all.**


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